Why I Hate Ron Howard
I’ve got nothing against Ron Howard, really. Opie was a cute kid. But, forgive me, so far I can’t stand anything directed by the man. I find his style sappy and emotionally overwrought.
OK. That’s about as critical and mean-spirited as you will hear me get publicly. I even struggled with using the word hate in my title. In truth, I don’t hate anyone but I’m trying to make a point here.
I picked Ron Howard because I know he can take it and I know he’s probably a really wonderful and totally sincere guy who could care less what I think. And he has touched millions of lives with his work over decades of service as an actor, writer, director and, producer.
In fact, I’m certain many of you LOVE Ron Howard. (And if I insulted you with my opening paragraph, I apologize.)
I know many of you love mushrooms, too.
Can’t stand ‘em myself.
What I am trying to stay here is taste is purely subjective.
And that’s all it is. Taste.
Feel free to ignore the people who will try to tell you their taste is the taste. The correct taste. (Ahem – art teachers, professors and critics.)
As you send your work out into the world, some people will LOVE it.
Some will hate it.
Some will say “Meh.”
That doesn’t mean your work is good.
Or bad.
Or even Meh.
It’s just your work. It’s the work you do.
So when everyone is patting you on the back and giving you shows and buying your work it doesn’t necessarily mean you are brilliant.
And if NO one is paying attention and you continually get rejected neither does it mean your are an idiot who should give up and go do something else.
It means nothing.
It’s just ego stuff.
Because you love this thing so much – creating, making, innovating, birthing new projects.
To continually evolve and pull ideas from deep within.
To craft and hone and love them.
Your work is a gift of love to the universe and to yourself. (You are, after all, an integral part of the universe.)
Keep on, friend.
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The Beauty of Wabi-Sabi
Guest post by Lori Koop
My friend and colleague, Lori Koop, is a dedicated and gifted
ceramic artist with a deep vision for herself and others. Her work
and writing exemplifies this style we call wabi-sabi.
“If an object or expression can bring
about, within us, a sense of serene
melancholy and a spiritual longing, then
that object is said to be wabi-sabi.”
Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence
When I began making ceramics three years ago, I knew exactly what I wanted to do… make ceramics that spoke. I needed to be authentic and real. Handmade imperfection, unglazed fired clay and irregular textured surfaces became the language.
 Betty Bowl © 2010 Lori Koop |
The Japanese term “wabi sabi” was used several times to describe the work. It describes both an aesthetic and a philosophy.
Wabi is rustic, simple and quiet. It refers to understated, subtle beauty. The quiet beauty that waits patiently to be discovered. It also refers to the natural quirks and irregularities that come from the process of construction, from being human.
Sabi is serenity that comes with age. The beauty of patina, visible wear and repairs. It is about the natural cycle of life – growth, decay and death. The cracks, the marks of time, weather and use.
Together, wabi sabi is about process, and it involves continuous change, evolution. Nothing is perfect, nothing is complete, and nothing lasts.
In it, we slow down. Live simply.
Fill with gratitude. Unclutter.
Lori offers an inspirational word each week in her “UPWord”. You can sign up here: www.moveUPWoRD.com
Hope Plaque © 2010 Lori Koop
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